AleSmith Brewing Company Speedway Stout (Vietnamese Coffee)

What the brewers say

“This Vietnamese coffee version of Speedway Stout is and continues to be AleSmith's most popular variation of the ever-growing Speedway Stout collection. Since 2012 we have been adding this blend of four Vietnamese coffees, known in Vietnam as cà phê sa đá, to our popular imperial stout. The coffee beans were slowly roasted at low temperatures and then brewed by AleSmith with a traditional phin-style filter that gently percolates water through the ground coffee. The result is an intensely aromatic and bold tasting coffee that complements the notes of chocolate and roast in this massive stout.”

What our panel thought

Aroma: “Starts out solventy and inky but fades into a fairly muted blend of coffee, chocolate, and roast. Some dark plum and dark fruit, with a moderate British hops aroma and vanilla.”

Flavor: “Notes of soy sauce and solvent. The beauty of this beer is the lack of things sticking out—the base has some nice roast and chocolate character that are complemented by the dark roast coffee. Sherry, cinnamon, and dark fruits appear as well, with some floral hops in the background.”

Overall: “This is a fun beer if you can get past the oxidation and solvent/high alcohol character. It’s a solid coffee imperial stout that fits together well with the nice rich chocolate and coffee flavors.”